New Servant of Camelot
by waiting for the future
Summary: Arthur and Guinevere are attacked while out riding, and a mysterious stranger protects them. But who are they, and what does Merlin feel is so important about her? Slight OCxMerlin, later Merlin Whump and Gwen/Arthur romance.
1. Chapter 1 The Fortunate Meeting

_HELLLOOOOOO! I am basically writing this on a whim, and will update as regularly as possible, however I am kind of writing as I go so yeah...reliability? Schedules? Who needs that kind of stress in their life?_

_aaaaanyway, This ff is based in the period of time just after the marriage of Arthur/Gwen, and before all the crazy shiz starts happening during their marriage. No particular references to other episodes, just a bit of fun using the characters. _

_RATING: K+ (I like a bit of not-too-graphic whump, but not sexy bits. They are bleughy. Just being safe!)_

_DISCLAIMER: The characters depicted in this fanfiction are...AW C'MON you guys know I didn't create them - darn the BBC and their collective genius._

It had been a long while since Arthur had felt so free. He watched with affection as his wife Guinevere swayed gracefully in her saddle just ahead of him. Being married to a woman of such whole and complete goodness was to Arthur every dream come true. She turned her soft brown eyes to him and smiled, slight laughter lingering in her voice as she spoke, "Arthur, do you really feel it is dangerous enough in these forests, even during the day, to justify your caution?" Blinking a few times, Arthur suddenly snapped out of his reverie; he had been riding extremely close to the Queen examining her perhaps a little too intently for Gwen's comfort. He backed his horse up slightly, momentarily embarrassed. Guinevere laughed lightly and Arthur, feeling the need to recover his pride, responded good-naturedly, "I'm afraid I feel an instinctual need to protect honourable Ladies, my dear Guinevere; even during the day." At this Guinevere smiled again, a coquettish expression taking over her features. "Oh, If only I had married a servant! You'd certainly have had less work to do Arthur!" Arthur smiled lovingly, and was thankful for every moment of this beautiful day.

The yellow eyes followed the two riders as they chattered away, calmly trotting right towards the perfect strike point…..heavy, feral breaths grew thicker with anticipation. Fresh food, so easily come by too, was a rare treat not to be passed up. As they rode it stalked – silent despite its size - edging towards one very hearty kill.

"Arthur, I do not think I will ever understand how you can feel so comfortable with Merlin – I feel positively strange…..Arthur?" The King had stopped his horse, suddenly intent. Guinevere knew this was never a good sign and so held her own horse, breathing quickened in apprehension. As both stood stationery a deep growling resounded across the space, out of place in the calm green light of the forest. The Monarchs, both now tense exchanged looks of mutual concern and Arthur, always the King, set his jaw and dismounted. "Perhaps it was just a wolf?" Guinevere offered somewhat lamely, at which Arthur smiled grimly. The metallic slide of Arthur's sword crushed Guinevere's hopes that this was nothing more than their ears playing tricks on them. She watched in dismay as he transformed from her loving husband Arthur into Camelot's hunter extraordinaire; it seemed it was their destiny never to have a truly uneventful outing.

As if out of nowhere, the creature of Guinevere's nightmares leapt into view. Its slavering mass was a repellent fusion of Wolf, lion and eagle – wings, claws, rank decayed fangs and judging by the glinting of its terrifying golden eyes, it was hungry for a kill. Guinevere wanted to scream at Arthur to run, but before she even had the chance, Arthur was thrown brutally into the air by one of the creature's huge limbs, smashing into an age old tree and falling unceremoniously to the forest floor unconscious. NO, this could not be happening! Guinevere leapt from her horse, trying desperately to reach Arthur when the creature turned to her, and let out a roar that had Guinevere stumbling back on her feet. As the beast snarled and stalked further towards her, the Queen used the only weapon left at her disposal and screamed for someone, _anyone_ to offer her help.

"Why, for the love of all things good are NONE of these herbs around when you're looking for them?" Muttering about the woes of frustrating herbs, The cloaked figure wandered around scanning the forest floor; once again the only illness that ever seemed to arise in this area had to require the most ridiculously rare or tiny plants! She rearranged her bow and quiver before crouching down to closely examine a patch of moss. Meandering around the forest close to Camelot was not how she had intended to spend the whole of the day. "Yes, of course I can help you, no problem – I should be back with a cure in oh, say, three blasted weeks….good lord!" The sudden roar of something that sounded more than a little angry stopped her in her thoughts – the figure straightened quickly. She listened for a moment more and heard the strangled sound of a woman screaming at the top of her lungs….dropping her bag of supplies, the figure began sprinting swiftly towards the sound. Well, so much for a quiet day in the forest…

Guinevere slowly backed away as the creature matched her pace – every instinct told her to run but she knew the moment she turned the creature would strike. Just when Gwen thought her luck could not fall any further, a tree root tripped her retreating form, and the beast, seeing its opportunity reared up to strike – Gwen closed her eyes, bracing for the attack….yet, the beast was not upon her; instead she heard the creature yowl in what sounded like…pain?! Opening her eyes to see what miracle had occurred, she saw that an arrow had pierced the creature, not in the ideal place to kill but enough to distract it from its target. Gwen looked around and sure enough on the peak of a boulder stood a figure holding a bow – they pushed back their hood…a woman! Gwen sat stunned for a moment as the tall, lithe figure came sprinting down to her, concern in her dark brown eyes. "Are you alright?" The woman's voice was steady and strong enough to snap Gwen out of her shocked state. "Yes…I…." But Gwen had no chance to continue as the beast, now truly enraged began towards the two of them. The new arrival grabbed Gwen by the arm and dragged her as fast as she could away towards the trees. "Can you climb?" asked the stranger, and Guinevere desperately tried to grab the lowest branch of the closest tree but thanks to the combination of her minimal stature and the close fitting dress of her station was unable to reach. Seeing Gwen's dilemma, in one swift and athletic move the mysterious woman was up on the bottom branch, reaching her hand down to the Queen. Despite the injury to its leg, the beast was catching up to them, and no sooner had Gwen been pulled up than its roars filled the air beneath them. Gwen desperately looked down realising that the height of the branch was insufficient…..they were too low…the beast was too close! All too soon it leapt and threw out a vicious blow, the strange woman thrust Gwen onto the trunk of the tree taking the strike and falling off the bough and onto the ground. Back on her feet in a moment, the woman quickly strung her bow with not one but three arrows. Before the creature turned had time to move the three arrows were lodged in its back, this time shot with deadly accuracy. The beast gave a final screech and then fell heavily to the ground.

Guinevere, near ready to cry with relief, scrambled down from the tree branch towards her saviour, babbling as she went. "I…Thankyou…That was….Where did you learn to fight like that?" The woman, panting slightly, tensed and looked at Gwen as if unsure what to say; the question was however left unanswered as Arthur came into view, one side of his face bloodied but apparently not much hurt by his rendezvous with the tree. "Arthur! Oh thank God!" Gwen ran towards him and embraced him; Arthur wrapped his arms around her and sighed in relief, saying softly into her hair, "Gad I'm a fool – I thought you must have been…." He stopped then, looking into Gwen's eyes with confusion. "How _did_ you escape?" Guinevere smiled in relief, beginning to explain, "It was thanks to…oh, I must ask you your name…" On turning back to the woman, Guinevere finally realised she had not escaped the blow from the beast so completely after all. The woman was pale, the hand that had been grasping her bow now hanging limply, the opposite arm wrapped around her torso. Comprehending the situation, Gwen exclaimed with worry "But you are hurt!". Both Gwen and Arthur began to move towards her, but she put a hand up and spoke in an unerringly jovial, if a little weak, tone "It is quite alright – I am glad to have been a help to you – it is not so often that…I have a chance to...huh…Ah!" Arthur caught her as her legs gave way and helped her sit on the forest floor. Guinevere quickly lifted the woman's cloak aside, seeing a rapidly spreading scarlet patch on her side and upper arm. Wincing for her helper's sake she took off her own cloak and pressed it to her injuries, asking in rushed accents "Please, what is your name? I am Guinevere. This is Arthur." At this announcement, the woman's eyes widended slightly and she again put up a hand. Guinevere stopped her flitting and looked her saviour in the face. "Arthur…Guinevere – you are…surely you cannot be…Pendragon?" Arthur and Gwen exchanged smiles and Arthur said with a grin "Camelot owes you a great debt."

Judging by the reaction that followed, this was the wrong thing to say - the poor woman looked as if she would faint right there and then. Her breathing became quick and Gwen soothingly reassured her, "There is no need to fear us – we would be honoured to at the very least know your name." The woman suddenly relaxed, a twinkle in her eye as she spoke. "This is not at all how – I imagined I would first meet royalty! It is an honour to be considered honoured. My name is Helen. Helen Avo…Avodian. I work – in the nearby villages – as a healer. I was searching for - the single most irritating herb in all the land - when I heard your majesty - cry out…" At this point she stopped to take in a pained gasp, becoming even paler. Gwen, noting Helen's eyes suddenly drooping, shared another look of worry with Arthur before Helen went entirely limp in their arms. "We must get her back to Camelot, Arthur; but the horses have certainly bolted!" Guinevere stated in dismay. Arthur, in reassuring accents replied, "Camelot can't be more than a few miles distant – I will just have to carry her; not to worry Guinevere. If she could fight off that thing on no more than her own strength I think she can get through worse than this." Guinevere gave a small nod, hoping Arthur was right.

_Yes? You Likey? No Likey? Review if you want...or not...or whatever! Merlin comes in during the next chapter, don't worry - I love him too much to leave him out for more than one chapter._


	2. Chapter 2 Magic Meets Magic

_Well hi there! Chapter two, just for you! See what I did there? I am a poet and hell yeah do I know it - ANYWAAAAY Here Merlin makes appearance numero uno and in the following chapters his part will naturally increase. I have to tell you though, this plot development thing is taking a liiiiittle longer than anticipated so bear wit' me, bros! I have already started on the next chapters and they are a lot more light and fun than this._

_DISCLAIMER: Well, guys, I know you won't believe it but I just took these characters from the BBC. DURHHUR - 'cos Merlin, you are too cool to be my brainchild._

Merlin let his spoon fall into his now empty bowl with a clatter, sighing contendedly. "Gaius, that was a meal fit for their highnesses – but I'm curious…what exactly was it?" Merlin looked to his guardian with a wry smile, and Gaius replied in as aloof a tone as he could muster, "Perhaps, Merlin, some things are better left unanswered." This comment appeared to plant the most horrendous thoughts possible into Merlin's mind; he made a face and a mental note never to ask Gaius about lunch again. Merlin's thoughts however turned away from the potentially unspeakable contents of his stomach when he felt a strange pull on his consciousness, as if something was trying to call out to him but was only managing to whisper its way into his thoughts. He whipped his head up, staring around intently – this was like nothing he had felt before, but somehow he could tell it was magical. Gaius, having finished his benchtop fussing, turned to see Merlin looking with a mix of curiosity and uncertainty at no point in particular with a furrow between his brows and knew immediately that something was wrong. "Merlin? What is it?" He asked hastily, but as Merlin opened his mouth to respond a commotion stirred outside the Physician's chamber; a moment later the door of Gaius' sanctuary was thrust open and Arthur, Guinevere and two guards supporting a drooped figure strode into the room.

Merlin's eyes widened as he focussed on the wounded woman – Gaius glanced at him and Merlin's expression was…well, there was no other word to describe it...fascinated. Gaius wanted nothing more than to ask exactly what Merlin was so engaged by in this complete stranger, however at this point the figure bleeding out in the guards' arms was currently of greatest importance. Gaius switched seamlessly into court-physician mode, immediately scanning his thoroughly beaten patient. "I need clean linens and fresh water; perhaps some honey too." Merlin, knowing Gaius meant the demands for him, took one final glance at the prostrate lady before running with all speed to find what was needed. Gaius, now engaging himself in checking for broken bones, looked at both the King and Queen, professionally inquisitive. "What happened, Highnesses?" Arthur, putting a hand to his bruised forehead, looked slightly embarrassed. "Well, Gaius, I was…erm….incapacitated for the most part." Gaius stepped towards and very briefly examined Arthur, checking for signs of concussion – on apparently finding none, he nodded and turned to Guinevere for an explanation. She took a breath in and began. "We were attacked by a creature – I've never seen anything like it before - Arthur was knocked out, Helen came along from goodness knows where and, well, she saved us Gaius." Gaius, returned to tending Helen, raised his eyebrows at the tale; examining her wounds, he frowned at the depth of the gashes.

"What kind of creature was it that attacked you? If it was magical, it may have been poisonous." Arthur piped up, stating firmly, "It was undoubtedly magical – it had a lion's body, wolf's head and, of all things, wings to boot." This information caused Gaius to pause in his ministrations, a look almost of awe shading his features. "What you describe is a Barinouk, a creature of the oldest legends! They were infamously strong and…" He paused, looking down at Helen with concern. Gwen and Arthur waited for Gaius to continue, and with a sigh of great sadness he concluded, "Unfortunately Barinouk produce a venom that saps energy...there is no known cure." Guinevere gasped, whispering, "Will she die, Gaius?" Gaius paused deep in thought and after what seemed like forever, began again. "The venom itself is not deadly, but the combination of mental and physical exhaustion…. However, she appears to be stronger than most; we must give her time and simply wait to see if she can overcome the venom's effects. If she is any better by tomorrow, I think it is safe to say she will be fine." The King and Queen nodded gravely. As Gaius began to remove Helen's tattered garments Arthur awkwardly began moving to the door, speaking hurriedly, "Insofar as assisting here, I think I have outgrown my usefulness – I will return to the castle and inform the council of this incident. If you wish to stay Gwen…" she nodded enthusiastically, "Well I shall see you when you are no longer required. Take care of them both Gaius." Gwen and Gaius watched as Arthur strode out; once satisfied he was gone Gaius began properly cleaning and dressing Helen's wounds. Guinevere was assigned the task of placing salve on the bruised areas of Helen's torso. It was while she completed this task that she made a discovery…one that was as unexpected as it was worrying.

Gwen, unusually hoarse, called Gaius to attention. "Gaius! I…there is a marking…on her skin - here." Gaius looked up, brow furrowed and hurriedly came to inspect the mark. Lo and behold, on the inside of her wrist, was an unmistakably symbolic marking – almost a branding. It consisted of six curved lines, the three on the right side a reflection of the three on the left, decreasing in length from the outside inwards, all six connected by a straight line closer to Helen's wrist. It definitely wasn't the druid symbol but Gaius was almost certain it would prove to be magical; oh dear - this complicated things. Glancing at Gwen he saw on her face a look that spoke volumes. She too had the same suspicion. In a tone coloured with urgency, Gwen half whispered, "Gaius, do you recognise it?"

Just as it had been when Merlin first arrived in Camelot, Gaius was placed in a most daunting position – he alone was able to either protect or reveal this woman's secret; to make or break her future in Camelot. It was then that Gaius, for some reason he did not quite understand, felt the sudden need to protect this woman. Something in her features drew up a distant memory of someone, some event he couldn't put his finger on…she was trustworthy, he was sure! Before he knew what he was doing, Gaius offered up this as an explanation: "No, my Lady, I do not. However I have seen similar symbols used to mark certain families from the far northern kingdoms, beyond the reach of Camelotian diplomatic relations. I do not think there would be record of such markings in the kingdom's records, but I will look into it as possible." Guinevere's relief was palpable, but Gaius knew a shadow of doubt remained. The initial storm of fear had however passed and as nothing more could be done to completely solve the mystery at this point, both continued about their work. Gaius knew that Guinevere's worries could not be alleviated completely by him, truthfully he did not know himself whether to fret; he supposed all they could do was wait for their patient to awaken. Making a mental note to ask Merlin for help on the matter later, Gaius carefully began binding Helen's torn arm, his mind ticking over while he carefully guarded his expression. Lord only knew what they'd gotten into this time!

By the time Helen was finally clean and relatively comfortable, it was early afternoon. Gaius and Gwen sat by her cot in silence. Gwen had told Gaius all she knew of Helen's story; unfortunately for their collective peace of mind there was nothing in her name or occupation that lessened both their worries about her magic. Gwen's brow was furrowed, and Gaius sat racking his brain for a solution to this possibly dangerous predicament. A sudden quiet creak broke the silence of the room as Merlin popped his head gingerly through the door. He smiled gently and spoke to Gwen with a hint of laughter in his voice. "Uh, Gwen, Arthur's been asking where you are for almost an hour…if you value your life…" At this, Gwen quickly stood, nodded at Gaius, fleetingly glanced at the graceful figure of Helen before skittering out of the chamber.

Merlin watched her go before his smile dropped and he resumed the same examination of Helen as he had on her initial arrival. He seemed reticent to move towards her; Gaius finally asked, "What is it about her that has you so fixated Merlin? And come closer to the bed; she's not going to strike you!" Merlin slowly came forward but did not remove his gaze from Helen. He took in a trembling breath. "I think Gaius…in fact, somehow I _know…_she is a magical creature. It's strange but…I could feel her magic sort of…reach out to me, even before she was in the room. It kind of connected to mine." Gaius watched Merlin as he gazed down at the young woman; he looked strangely awed, his eyes filled with a cool shine that was as ethereal as it was expressive. Sighing, Gaius nodded. "This is all very unusual…Merlin, we have a significant problem - Guinevere suspects our patient too." At this Merlin finally broke his gaze and frowned across at the old Physician. "Helen has a marking similar to a druidic mark on her forearm. Guinevere saw it; I told her it was most likely a tribal symbol from the far north, however if we are not extremely careful Helen will be jailed before she even has a chance to explain herself." Merlin smiled slightly at Gaius, stating simply "Well, her magic seems so familiar…I trust in it, Gaius. I'm sure we can trust her." Gaius nodded, generously stating, "She saved the King and Queen of Camelot, I think for now she deserves the benefit of the doubt." Merlin smiled again and nodded. He then straightened up, considering what needed to be done next. Somehow, he would have to convince Gwen that Helen was most certainly not marked by magic. Urgh, this was not going to be easy. Merlin, scanning his brain for a solution soon decided there was nothing more he could do for Helen here and so turned towards the door as if to make tracks. Gaius called out, irritated, "Where are you going?" at which Merlin turned around, holding the door ajar and grinning slightly. "Back to his Royal Pratness. Somehow he managed to get dirt all over his cloak this morning, and now some unfortunate servant has to clean it." Taking on a serious tone, Merlin finally said "I'll try to talk to Gwen; see what she wants to do about Helen. I'll think of something…I hope." Gaius raised his eyebrows and spoke almost pleadingly, "Be careful." The young warlock twinkled and answered, "Now when am I ever not, Gaius?" That was a question Gaius feared to answer. Gaius watched his ward leave then looked down once more at his patient. For the umpteenth time that day Gaius sighed a long-suffering sigh and prayed to high heaven that just this once, luck would favour magic.

_so hey, hope you enjoyed this - I'll keep em coming if you'll keep reading...and reviewing...please? Thanks guys!_


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